Feels So Good

The S550 is Mercedes to the Max

By Chris Hodenfield

Mercedes-Benz S550

Mercedes-Benz didn’t really have to try so hard. Its top-shelf, luxe-to-the-max sedan, the S550, is already a mighty machine that’s astonishingly fun to drive. But the company went ahead and added such a bevy of high-tech wonderments that a simple errand is now like a trip to a full-service spa.

When passengers heading for the S550 call “Shotgun!”, they’re certainly clamoring for the rear seats, which recline in Barcalounger comfort (heated armrests and massaging seats). One can cruise the Internet on the LCD screens, be overwhelmed by the Burmester “3-D” sound system, or simply breathe the refined cabin air, which is ionized and perfumed to your choice of scents. If you want to know what success smells like, sit right here.

The starting price of $86,150 can easily be bumped up another twenty large by the wondrous options, like the Magic Body Control system, which uses cameras to scan the road ahead for divots and bumps and allows you to pour over them like syrup on waffles. For such a mighty machine, the handling is terrific. (It will even steer itself for up to ten seconds.) The 4.7-liter, twin-turbo V-8 sends its 449 horsepower to the rear wheels, but Connecticut folks may prefer the all-wheel-drive 4Matic.